Career Tips: 5 Questions to Prepare for Your Internship Interview

Wondering what questions are likely to come up in your internship interview? Although every interview is different — and every interviewer likes to shake things up — it’s important to have basic answers and key points prepared. To help you get ready, we’ve gathered a few questions that you should keep in mind while practicing your interview skills.

1. Tell me about yourself.

   The first question isn’t a question at all. It is, however, one of the biggest curveballs that you will get in almost every single interview throughout any stage of your career. Why is it a curveball? It seems simple enough. Though it might seem like a straightforward ask, “tell me about yourself” is a broad, open-ended opportunity to tell an interviewer what you’re about. 
   
   Don’t make the mistake of waiting to come up with something on the spot. Think about what you want to get across. 
   
   Here are a few examples of things you might mention: 
   
   •    Where you’re from
   •    Where you are attending college
   •    What programs or organizations you’re involved in
   •    What your career interests are
   •    What type of job or job-related experience do you have
   
   Whatever you choose to share, make sure that the information is relevant, concise, and gives the interviewer a little understanding of who you are personally and professionally.
   
   🔍RELATED: Learn how to prepare for a job fair!

2. What interested you about this company and this internship opportunity?
   

   This is your chance to show off what you know about the company and the position. Make sure to do research on both and thoroughly read through the job description prior to your interview. A few things to note while you’re doing your research would be the company’s core values, service lines, and employee programs. Get a good feel for what the culture is like and why you might want to work there, specifically in the type of internship you’ve chosen to pursue. 

3. What computer programs do you have experience using?

   Not unlike “tell me about yourself,” this question may come off as easy to remember in the moment. You know what programs you’ve worked with before and what you’re proficient in. However, make a list for yourself. You would be amazed what you may not recall when put on the spot.
   
   Here are a few programs that are good to mention if you have experience with them:
   
   •    Adobe Products
   •    Accounting software
   •    Microsoft Office Suite – especially Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
   •    Collaboration platforms, such as Slack or Teams
   •    Project management software, such as Monday.com, Asana, or Basecamp
   

   Of course, there are an endless number of programs that you’ve used in your college career. Make sure to have a mental note of the ones that are most applicable to this position.

4. Tell me about a time when you…

   There are many ways to end this statement. Your interviewer might ask you to tell them about a time when you had to work with someone you didn’t like, or when you had a strict deadline to meet, or you had a conflict with a customer or client. The specific scenario matters less than how you build your answer.
   
   We usually don’t have a list of challenges we’ve had in our lives top of mind. The interviewer isn’t looking for a detailed account of a situation you’ve experienced, but rather wants to know if you know how to handle a difficult situation appropriately.
   
   Instead of sitting and thinking hard about a specific time in your life, getting nervous along the way if your mind is blank, identify what skills they might be looking for. For example, if they ask about a time you had to meet a strict deadline, think about any school project you’ve had. Don’t worry about exactly which one, pick any. Then, tell the interviewer what you usually do to meet a deadline, which might be making a priority list, time blocking, and working outside of your house to have less distractions.
   
   Think through the possible scenarios an interviewer can ask and have examples ready. But if you find yourself put on the spot, take a deep breath and show that you know how to handle a challenge.

5. Do you have any questions for me?
   

   The answer to this question is always yes. You want to make sure that you come into any interview with follow-up questions to ask the interviewer. Asking questions is a great way to get more information about the job and to show that you are serious about the company. 
   
   Here are a few examples of questions you might ask: 
   
   •    What does a workday look like for an intern here? 
   •    How do you measure an intern’s success in this position? 
   •    What is most important to you about the company culture here?
   •    If I wanted to explore a full-time position after my internship, what would you recommend? 
   
   The questions you choose will largely depend on what you want to know and what you want to get across. Are you focused on growth? Culture? Work-life balance? Use these questions to learn more about the position and to create meaningful conversation with your interviewer.

Make a Good Impression

Overall, your goal is to make a lasting impression that allows the interviewer to be able to picture you being successful in that position. You will find that this is a delicate balance. You don’t want to overthink and overprepare to the point of panicking, but you also don’t want to be underprepared in an effort to act natural. Think through the possible questions and how you’d like to answer them and practice them in the mirror, in the car, or wherever you get time.

You’ll do great. Good luck!